The present invention relates to a textile construction particularly applicable for providing ballistic protection and a method for making it.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a ballistic protection textile construction of the so-called “soft armor” and “hard armor” types.
The present invention is particularly applicable for making ballistic protection devices, either of hybrid or monolithic type, especially soft protection devices.
As is known, the capability of a textile fabric of preventing a bullet or fragment thereof, or a pointed implement such as a knife, from penetrating said fabric essentially depends on the nature of the fabric textile fibers, weave and mass per is unit of area (areal density).
Thus, providing a ballistic protection small weight, highly comfortable, and improved performance fabric has always been the main issue in several ballistic protecting applications.
In an increasing number of applications, improved ballistic protection fibers are used in different multi-axial arrangements for making novel or improving existing fabric materials, because of their improved ballistic protection performance.
Multi-axial articles are manufactured by means of textile processes performed by dedicated looms.
In fact, such an article, including a plurality of like or different textile or other material layers, would allow, its areal density being the same, the penetrating bullet energy to be quickly and reliably dispersed, thereby stopping the bullet and preventing it from penetrating the user's body.
In this connection, it is also known that the ballistic protection fabric material forming reinforcement fibers usually comprise para-aramide and UHMWPE fibers adapted to efficiently absorb a penetrating bullet stress they are subjected to.
In multi-axial articles such fibers are woven according to different weaving axes and bound to one another by a fiber stitching process.
Said reinforcement fibers and weaving processes provide a fabric having flexibility and draping features much improved in comparison with standard textile fabrics and weaving methods, thereby greatly enhancing the comfort of a user wearing the ballistic protection article.
A prior overlapping method, in which different orientation, high toughness fibers, such as para-aramide, UHMWPE and carbon fibers, are processed to provide multi-directional ballistic protection articles is also well known.
Said overlapping differently oriented fiber articles have enhanced mechanical characteristics allowing an improved load and stress spreading as well as a correspondingly improved bullet impact energy spreading.
The above prior overlapping method comprises the step of overlapping, in a controlled manner, the fiber layers, up to a maximum number of 4, with variable overlapping angles, theoretically from 0° to 90°, and is carried out in the so-called “multi-axial looms”.
In the above prior method, the different fiber planes or layers are bound, in a final step, by a longitudinal stitching, thereby providing a “multi-axial” fabric.
Said multi-axial looms may further comprise auxiliary tools to properly spread a thermoplastic matrix film, a textile matrix mat or web on the individual fabric layers or on a surface of said fabric.
The method also comprises further fabric processing steps, such as a fabric thermosetting, thermoplastic or rubberized matrix impregnating step to broaden the ballistic protection article applications.